Leave Leaves Left Fill in the Blank Worksheet

Leave, leaves and left are three forms of one everyday irregular verb, and picking the right one tests two skills at the same time: subject-verb agreement and the irregular past tense. This leave leaves left fill in the blank worksheet asks fourth graders to read the whole sentence, find the clue that sets the time and the subject, and only then write the correct form. In fourth grade the standard reaches beyond single sentences, because CCSS L.4.1.c asks students to recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense across a whole piece of writing.

This 4th grade verbs worksheet works in three steps. Students begin with a word box holding leave, leaves and left, then complete six sentences where every clue sits inside the sentence, from Last Saturday to each morning to do not. Part B is a short story about a cousin’s visit with four more blanks, so the child has to hold one tense across five sentences, and one blank deliberately steps out of the past because the story describes a habit that is still true today. The page ends with a short written explanation, which makes the student’s reasoning visible.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• Answer key
• 6 fill-in-the-blank sentences with a three-word word box
• 1 four-blank story that holds one tense across five sentences
• 1 constructed-response prompt with two writing lines

There are three reasons this leave leaves left fill in the blank worksheet helps children learn. First, every form is used more than once, so a student cannot cross words off a list and finish by elimination. Second, the story in Part B is where a tense shift can actually be noticed, and noticing that shift is exactly what the standard measures. Third, the closing prompt asks for the clue rather than the answer, which turns a correct blank into an explanation a teacher can assess.

Teachers and parents can extend the practice away from the page. Say a sentence aloud with the wrong form and ask your child to catch and fix it, then trade roles. Pick another irregular verb, such as keep, sleep or bring, and build the same three-form family on an index card. At the end of the day, talk about what time everyone left home, when the bus usually leaves, and when you will leave tomorrow, so all three forms come up in real conversation. Reading a short paragraph aloud and pausing at every verb is a quick way to hear a tense shift before it is written down.

Related Resources

• Finding Irregular Verbs Worksheet
• Verb Tenses Fill in the Blank Worksheet
• Identifying Verb Tenses Worksheet
• Verb Rap Song from Have Fun Teaching